The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1887-05-22

during the same ten years average,
30 per cent, you will see that Their
is nothing encouraging in these fis
ures.
How do yon account for the an
parent stagnation in what were fer
merly the great commercial center
of the South" i asked.
by the depression of the plant
ing interest, of which | have airead,
spoken" was the reply. They ar,
dependent upon the agriculture o
the country for their trade"
Haven't the crops been goodY"
Yes, that of last year was the larg.
est ever made, with one or two eT
ceptions. But the crop today is moi
proportienately as great as il was be.
fore the war. 1t must be remem.
bered that the population of the
South increased nearly 80 per cent
between 1860 and 1880. As apricul.
ture is almost our only industry, and
as cotton is our principal product, il
we only held our own we ought. in
1880, to have marketed so per cent.
more cotton than we did before the
war. But the truth is that the large
crop of last year was only % per
cent greater than that of 1880. In
other words, our population increas-
ed during that twenty years Just
about twice as fast as our ability TO
feed and clothe it. You wouldp' I
look for prosperity under such'cir-
cumstances, and you will not think
1T strange that the cities which are
dependent upon agriculture for their
trade should anguish. "
Il have not been South for several
years, said; ARE there outward
signs in the country of this depres-
sion of which you speak,"
A GENERAL AIR OF POVERTY.
Yes, especially when one goes
away from the railroads. Improve
ments are not kept up, and there is
q, general air of poverty, want of
thrift and the allowing of things to
go to decay"
ITO what cause do you attribute
II don't know. Probably it is due
to variety Of causes. If | did not
know how little influence legislation
actually has upon industry | should
say that the tariff was the chief
cause; but | don't know what it is"
The price of cotton averaged very
low last year." | said; has that any,
thing to do with it?"
"Of course that cuts down the in
come from the crop for last year but
the depression | speak of did not be-
gin recently, and the price of cotton
has been good as a rule. One cause
is probably the wearing out of our
lands. You know that all aVricul-
tural lands produce less and less ex-
cept they are constantly renewe by
fertilizers, and our people are too
poor to buy those. The increased
aggregate crop is due to increased
acreage, but we have not been able
to increase the former in the same
proportion that we have increased
the latter, and the amount of labor
expended. We work over more
ground and more hands are en-
ployed, but it costs more to make ,
bale of cotton now than it formerly
did, Another reason, | think, WIN
we do not raise as much cotton to an
acre as we formerly did is that we
don't get what we call as good A
stand as We used to. The i'm
portance of this is not likely to he
appreciated by one who has
never lived where cotton is
raised. If there are many long vacant
spaces in the rows of cotton plants.
they may grow very thrifty, and the
field, as one looks over it, may appear
to bear great crop, and yet, when
the cotton comes to be picked it will
turn out light. Now, in order to Sc
cure a good stand that is. to have
the ground all occupied, the closest
care and attention are necessary at
a certain critical period. In former
times, when the planter had complete
control of the labor, he could enforce
this care and attention that he can
not do now. The cotton lands of the
South are now mostly rented to ne
groes, and if the owner retains an in
terest in the crop he has no 7oice in
the manner in which it shall be |
worked. If he should interfere the
negroes would resent it and leave, |
There is great deal of careless farm |
ing in the South"
l suggested that these agricultural |
portions of the South, surrounding |
or within easy access of the cities |
that are fourishing upon present or
anticipated mineral developments,
ought to be benefited by the growth
Of those. places in population and |
wealth, just as the establish ment of
new enterprises in the North or
W est gives an impetus to agriculture
IN all the country around.
1T may have that effect in the
End" was the reply; "but just now
)ur people are accustomed to making
40 crop except cotton, and they
ire not In condition to take advant-
Ige of it,"
| asked Secretary Lamar what the
Effect upon the future of the South
would be if those portions m which
'ther industries are being establish
ID continue to grow as they have
ately done, while agriculture re-
mains stagnant and depressed.
He had not thought about that, but
omitted that in the end the control
i certain sections would pass into
he hands of new class of men.
What the effect would be he could
lot tell
was somewhat surprised at the ,
disclosures Of this conversation, as |
AYE no doubt many of your readers
will be. The newspapers of the I
ountry have been so full the past {
ew months Of accounts of the great
boom" in the Southwest that it !
ever occurred to me that the whole :
'outh was not sharing in the pros
erity. But Assistant Secretary
luldrow, who was present during a
art OF the interview, corroborated :
verything that Secretary Lamar y